


A Bit Too Friendly

by ericsonclan



Series: Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted AU [3]
Category: The Walking Dead (Telltale Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Pirates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-02
Updated: 2020-09-13
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:53:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25674634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ericsonclan/pseuds/ericsonclan
Summary: Sophie and Marlon celebrate a successful mission when the night turns into something more...
Relationships: Marlon/Sophie (Walking Dead: Done Running)
Series: Nothing is True, Everything is Permitted AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1730554
Kudos: 3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (by Laura)

“I can’t believe that you single-handedly brought over four dozen dogs running towards our target in the middle of our mission!” Sophie chortled, taking another drink of her ale. “Seeing him sprinting down the street with that one stray clinging onto his trousers…” She wiped a tear from her eye before continuing. “It’s a good thing our mission was to run him out of town, ‘cause if it had been assassination, we’d never have caught him!”

“How was I supposed to know my animal magnetism was so powerful?” Marlon quipped. He reached a hand down to scratch behind Rosie’s ears. The pitbull wagged her tail happily before resting her head back on top of his feet underneath the booth.

“That’s not what that phrase means, you know,” Sophie raised an eyebrow from over her drink.

“What phrase?”

“’Animal magnetism’. What do you think it means?”

“… Attracting animals?”

“No! It means you’re, y’know… sexy,” Sophie looked away, quickly taking another swig from her ale and finishing it off. Slamming her mug on the table, she poured more in from the flagon that stood between them. She didn’t notice the blush on Marlon’s own cheeks at her words. Taking a sip from his own drink, he decided to steer the conversation elsewhere.

“About time we look for a new posting, maybe on a merchant ship this time,”

“Mmm-” Sophie cut him off, swallowing before she continued. “Let me do the scouting this time. The last ship you chose for us smelled like feet,”

“Only in the bunk rooms,”

“That’s exactly the problem!” Sophie shook her head. “I may be a pirate assassin, but I still have standards,”

“I don’t know…” Marlon murmured, his voice muffled by his mug. “You don’t exactly have the best smelling feet either,”

Sophie gasped in mock horror, swiping playfully at his arm. “Then stop sniffing my feet, you perv!” 

“Stop sticking your feet in my face during hideout missions!” Marlon’s foot poked at one of Sophie’s under the table. “We’ve got to get you some new boots. It’s not your feet, I swear. Those boots are just too waterlogged to smell like anything but a chum bucket,”

“Wow, great save. Now I totally believe you think my feet smell good. Let’s put it to the test, shall we?” With that Sophie kicked off one of her old, worn-out boots. Leaning back, she thrust her foot up and out from under the table, poking at Marlon’s chest. “Go on, give ‘em a whiff!”

“That’s how we’re gonna play, huh?” Marlon’s eyes were devious. Sophie realized her mistake too late. Before she could pull back he’d grabbed her foot, ticking it viciously.

“No, no!” Sophie shrieks amidst bursts of laughter. “You monster!” She tried to kick back, but Marlon simply grabbed her other foot, moving to pull off the second boot.

A loud harrumph stopped them dead in their tracks. They looked up to see that the rest of the tavern’s patrons were watching them with expressions that ranged from bewildered amusement to shocked disapproval. 

Marlon awkwardly cleared his throat before gently setting Sophie’s feet to the side. “I’ll pay our bill and get us another flagon. Take the one we’ve got with you. I’ll meet you in the room,”

Sophie nodded. She’d already pulled her boot back on, so she snatched the flagon and headed up the stairs of the inn without another word.

\----

It didn’t take long for Marlon to return with the second flagon. With plenty of ale between the two of them, the pair of assassins chatted on for hours into the night, talking about everything and nothing. They may not remember what they talked about once they woke, but that didn’t matter; they’d simply talk about it again in the morning. They now lay on their backs in the wrong directions across one of the beds, using the other to prop up their legs. 

They were nearly out of ale at this point. Sophie had enough experience with Marlon to know he’s likely fall asleep soon. She’d gone on enough monologues that were answered by Marlon’s snoring to know it was an inevitability. He always passed out first. She’d lift up his legs, plop him onto his own bed, then snuggle under the covers of her own to sleep off all the ale. Marlon had gotten quieter a moment ago. Sophie turned her head to see if he’d already zonked out.

She was surprised to find he was already looking in her direction. They were closer than she’d expected; she could smell the ale on his breath. Sophie felt her face heating up as Marlon continued to gaze at her. Slowly, he extended a hand towards her face. He placed a single finger on her nose. 

“Boop,”

Sophie stared at him dumbly for a moment before bursting into a fit of giggles. She rolled over on the bed, trying to slow down and catch her breath. She could hear Marlon laughing behind her, his breath coming out in snorts that only made her laugh harder. Turning back around, she saw that he had one arm thrown over his eyes. His laughter came in wheezes as it slowly died down.

“Hey, look at me,” Sophie lightly scolded. Taking Marlon’s arm, she playfully threw it off to the side. He acquiesced, looking up at her, and for a moment Sophie thought she felt her heart stop. 

His eyes were such a clear, pure blue. She became vaguely aware of her arms, fingers splayed on either side of the mattress by his head. 

Marlon seemed to pick up on the change in tone as well. His smile faded, replaced by something more inquisitive. He returned her gaze in kind, searching her eyes.

“Hey, Mar-Mar,” Sophie whispered, using the nickname she knew he hated.

“Yeah?”

“Wanna know a secret?”

Marlon’s tongue darted out, nervously licking his lips. Sophie found she couldn’t look away from them. “Sure,”

Slowly, Sophie moved one of her hands to cup the side of her partner’s face. She was going to say something more but hiccupped instead. The heady smell of liquor filled the air. Before she could think better of it, Sophie pressed her lips against Marlon’s. The mattress groaned under the force of the kiss. When she pulled back, she felt the springs bounce back into place, settling down after a single jiggle. Marlon was staring at her, silent. He opened his mouth to speak. A hiccup came out instead.

Then all of a sudden he was pulling her back against him, their lips meeting in a kiss that was anything but gentle. Sophie heard herself gasp in surprise as Marlon’s feet hit the ground and he sat up, pulling her into his lap. There wasn’t any time for words though as Marlon’s lips were on hers again, his teeth tugging at her lower lip this time as his tongue searched for entrance. Sophie’s mouth opened willingly, her own tongue battling his for dominance as her hands pushed him back down on the bed. When they pulled apart to breathe, a string of saliva hung between them for a second before breaking. Sophie was surprised by it, but then chuckled, wiping her mouth off on her sleeve.

She could feel Marlon’s hands on her waist, his fingers skirting the hem of her shirt. Looking down at him, she saw with amusement that his face was just as messy. He was watching her with a mixture of so many emotions: lust, confusion, uncertainty. Sophie was sure her eyes told a similar tale. But right here, in this moment, she was certain of one thing: she wanted more. Leaning down, Sophie captured Marlon’s lips once more, her own hands sneaking up his shirt and running across hot skin. Permission given, Marlon’s own hands slipped under her blouse, tightening round her as their passion heightened. Neither wanted to stop. And neither did.

\----

It was the brightness of the morning sun that eventually woke Sophie. Groggily, she raised her head and looked around the room. Rosie was curled up in the corner, sleeping peacefully. Their sheathed weapons were draped across the back of a chair, purses stacked neatly on the seat. Sophie’s eyes lazily wandered further along the floor, stopping at a crumpled pile. Were those her… pants?

Marlon moaned beside her. Sophie turned with a gasp, looking in shock at her sleeping partner. His shirt was off. Hesitantly, Sophie lifted up the covers, peeking underneath. That wasn’t the only thing that was off. Sophie felt her heart pounding as the events of last night came to the forefront of her mind. Oh, god. They’d messed up so bad. What would the Order do if they found out about this?

Before her thoughts could get much farther than that, Marlon woke with a start. His eyes slowly caught hers as he regained consciousness, dazed until horrified recognition flooded into them. Marlon shot up straight in bed. Looking at Sophie, then back to the bedsheets, he lifted his corner of them cautiously before lowering them with a groan. Marlon fell back on the bed, covering his eyes in shame. “Shit, Sophie… I’m so sorry,

“It’s not your fault. From what I can remember, I’m pretty sure I was the one who started things,”

“Still, I should’ve had the sense to shut things down,”

“You were drunk. We both were,”

“We’ve been drunk hundreds of times. It never led to this before,” Marlon lowered his hands, letting them fall by his sides. “What do we do now? Does the Order have some sort of procedure for when this happens? I definitely haven’t heard of one,”

Sophie looked over at her partner. His fear mirrored her own. Relationships weren’t something the Order allowed. They’d separated her and Minnie as soon as they joined. If news of this somehow got to them and they decided to send Marlon away as well… No. She wouldn’t allow it. She wouldn’t let one drunk night’s mistake take her partner from her. “We act like this never happened,”

Marlon looked at her in confusion. “What?”

“No one knows this happened outside of this room. And it’ll never happen again. It was a slipup, nothing more. The Order doesn’t need to know about slipups,”

Her partner looked unsure of her words, but seeing the determination in Sophie’s eyes, he nodded. “You’re right. As far as anyone’s concerned, this night never happened. We’ll keep it that way,”

“Exactly,” Sophie looked down at the bedsheet covering her chest. “Now turn around. I need to get dressed,”

Marlon’s eyes widened, but he simply nodded and flipped over. Both of them dressed with their backs to each other, trying to ignore the rustling of clothing from opposite ends of the room. Once that was done, they gathered their gear and went downstairs, whistling for Rosie to follow. A quick breakfast was paid for before they headed out the door, ready to start a new day.

“So…” Marlon said, looking Sophie’s way. “You said you wanted first choice on our next ship, so… to the docks?”

“To the docks,” As the pair walked along, Sophie felt a sort of surrealness lingering in the air. Had that night really happened? She shook her head, trying to clear it. The fact that it had was irrelevant. It could never happen again. Whatever that had been, it was too great of a risk. 

Looking over at her partner, Sophie felt an inner calm settle within her. They’d put this night behind them. 

She and Marlon would stick together, no matter what. That was all that truly mattered.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marlon and Sophie have a close call and barely escape to the bunker. There they reflect on what they mean to each other.

The bunker was silent and empty. A small room with nothing but the bare necessities within its walls, it lay underground, waiting for the day it would be needed. That day had come. Dirt fell down from the ceiling as the secret entrance was opened, a pair of assassins and a dog tumbling in before the opening closed and the room was once more cast into darkness.

“Fuck, Marlon, are you alright?” Sophie voice was high-pitched as fear grasped her. “Wait here, I’ll get the light!” There was a sound of scuffling, heavy boots scraping against the dirt floor. A breath of relief as the lantern was found and the soft scratch of a match before the room filled with light. Sophie set the lantern aside on the ground before turning back to her partner. His shirt was caked in blood, his own or their enemies she couldn’t tell.

“It’s nothing,” Marlon grunted, gritting his teeth. “Just a scratch. Are you”-

“I’m fine! And I don’t believe you. Let me see,” Sophie’s hands pulled up the side of Marlon’s shirt before he could protest. He let out a soft hiss of pain when the air hit the open wound. Rosie came forward, nudging Marlon’s arm and whining nervously. Marlon gave her head a quick pat before whistling, ordering her to the corner. Rosie obeyed, but her eyes remained locked on the pair, watching them closely.

Sophie reached over to open the trunk that contained the bunker’s supplies, rifling through it until she found a flask of alcohol. Hands shaking slightly, she poured it over Marlon’s chest, cleaning the wound. Marlon’s eyes squeezed shut as he tried to remain silent. With nothing else on hand to wipe up the blood, Sophie grabbed hold of her own shirt, using the hem to clear away all the muck so she could see the wound clearly. 

Thankfully, it looked like the blade hadn’t cut Marlon too deep, What she’d feared to be a fatal blow would heal with time, though it would certainly leave a scar. Reaching back into the chest, Sophie pulled out several lengths of gauze. She began wrapping them around Marlon’s torso again and again. This bunker was no place to properly treat a wound. She had to make sure it wouldn’t get infected.

“Sophie, Soph, stop,” Marlon gently chided, his hands taking hold of hers to stop them. “I think that’s more than enough gauze. Let’s save some for the next guy who needs it,”

“Mar..” Sophie’s voice cracked, a sob escaping her throat. “When that raider cut you and you fell, I- I…”

“I know,” Marlon answered. He placed a hand on the back of her head, pulling her forward till their heads touched. “But I’m OK. And you’re OK. We’ll hide out here for a few days, then report back to the Order regarding the ambush. They’ll know what to do from there,”

“Are you hurt anywhere else?” Sophie asked, taking hold of Marlon’s arms and examining them carefully. “You shouldn’t have jumped in front of me like that. I had things handled,”

Marlon shook his head. “There were too many of them. Couldn’t risk it,”

“That’s not your call. We’re a team, remember?”

“Always,” Marlon looked aside for a second to smile at Rosie who was wagging her tail now that things had calmed down. She moved to go over to him, but he raised a hand to stop her, ordering her to stay. 

“We should get you to bed,” Sophie decided, bending over to lift support one of his shoulders. “C’mon, I’ll help you over there,”

“Soph, that’s really not necessary. I got cut on my chest, not my legs,”

“Just shut up and let me help you!”

It was only a few steps over to the bed. As they sat down, Marlon could feel Sophie’s eyes on him, watching for any sign of pain or internal injury. She soon realized he could see her staring and averted her eyes. Tossing her hair over one shoulder, she began to nervously run her fingers through it. The movement uncovered a nasty bruise on the side of her neck.

“Shit, when did that happen?” Marlon exclaimed, leaning forward to examine the injury more closely. 

Sophie looked down to see what he was talking about. It was a fairly large bruise, a trail of purple extending from her shoulder up to where she couldn’t see it along her neck. She tsked in annoyance. “That’s nothing. I must’ve fallen on it wrong,”

“It is very much not nothing,” Marlon insisted. His hand trailed along the bruise, gently pressing down. Sophie involuntarily gasped in pain. “See! I’m getting you something for that. The trunk must have some sort of painkillers,” Marlon rose to leave, but Sophie pulled him back down.

“No!” They both looked surprised at the strength of her outburst. Sophie pulled her hands back, her gaze falling to the bed. “I don’t need anything. I just need you to stay here. Right here where I can see you, OK?”

“OK,” Marlon murmured. The rational part of him wanted to point out that the trunk was only a few feet away, but the look in Sophie’s eyes told him that didn’t matter. He scooted closer to his partner, taking his hand in hers. They sat like that in silence for several minutes. Everything was silent in the bunker, so quiet that they could hear Rosie softly panting in the corner. Nothing stirred; everything was stillness and calm. 

The same was not true inside Sophie’s own mind. Her thoughts raced back and forth, replaying the events of the ambush. She should have known something was off. Things were going too smoothly. Then before she could think there were enemies upon them, and Marlon had stepped in front of her. Then… She could feel the tears coming up again. Trying to stifle them, Sophie let out a choked gasp before her body began to shake with sobs.

“Hey, hey,” Marlon whispered, slipping an arm round her shoulder. “There’s no need for that. We’re all safe,”

“I almost lost you back there, Mar! I can’t-” Sophie let out a shuddered breath. “I can’t go through that again. It would kill me,”

“Soph, I’m right here. I’m not going anywhere,” His hand rubbed comforting circles into her shoulder, trying to relieve the tension. “You’ve gotta believe me,”

Sophie remained silent, her gaze trained on the opposite wall.

“Soph, look at me. Please?”

Reluctantly, she granted his request.

Marlon’s eyes were steady as he looked upon her. “I will never leave your side. I swear it upon my life,”

“Your life is exactly what I’m worried about,” Sophie felt another tear slowly fall down her face. 

Marlon reached up, brushing it away. His hand lingered, drawing closer and cupping her face, the ends of his fingers tangling into her hair. Sophie felt her breath catch in her throat. Marlon’s eyes were on hers, then they dropped lower, to her lips. Slowly, Marlon leaned forward, drawing closer. Sophie remained frozen, her heart racing. Then his lips brushed against hers and a barely perceptible moan left her mouth.

“Marlon…” she whimpered only to be silenced as their lips connected once more. Marlon’s head tilted slightly as his kisses travelled down along the corner of her mouth, her jaw, the crook of her neck, directly over her bruise. Sophie let out a shaky gasp.

Marlon immediately pulled back. “Did I hurt you?”

“No, I just…” Sophie stared into her partner’s eyes, seeing all the love and fear within them. “Do that again. Please,”

Marlon acquiesced. His lips returned to her neck, tongue laving out to swipe against the bruised flesh. Sophie felt the tension in her muscles melting as her arms wrapped round his back, pulling him more tightly against her. They shouldn’t do this. They’d promised each other they wouldn’t. It would change everything… Marlon’s lips had moved on to the other side of her neck. Groaning, he bit down softly and all Sophie’s resolution crumbled. This was happening.

\---

They lay curled in each other’s arms, the blanket messily strewn to cover both of their forms. Both of them were awake, but silent. One of Marlon’s hands was curled within Sophie’s hair, absent-mindedly playing with it while one of hers traced a scar along his arm.

“It happened again,” Sophie murmured.

“It did,”

“What do we do now?”

“I… don’t know,”

Sophie pulled back, disentangling herself from her partner. “This isn’t going away. One time was a slipup, but this, this is a pattern,”

“So we’re screwed?” Marlon asked. His eyes were on the bedding, unwilling to look at her.

Sophie snorted at the poor choice of wording. “Yeah. Unless….”

“What?”

“We’re friends, right?”

“Obviously,”

“Nothing more?”

“I-”

Sophie raised a finger. “Don’t answer that. What I meant is, well, this doesn’t have to be a relationship. Assassins hook up all the time. Hell, some do it for missions. So this…” she motioned vaguely between the two of them, “Is just that. Part of being an assassin. A way to blow off steam. As friends,”

“Friends,” Marlon nodded, trying to keep up with her reasoning.

“Assassins can be friends. There’s no rule against that,”

“True…”

“So we’re just… friends with benefits,” Sophie searched Marlon’s eyes, hoping he was willing to follow along with this plan. 

A slow smile crossed Marlon’s face. “I can live with that,”

Sophie returned the smile. Then her eyes drifted down to his chest. “Shit, you’re bleeding again. I’ll get more gauze,” She hopped out of the bed, running over to the chest.

“Sophie?”

“Yeah?” Her eyes lifted to see Marlon sitting up on the bed, watching her intently.

“I’m glad. That this happened again,”

Sophie felt her heart do a little leap inside her. “So am I,”

Friends with benefits. It might be messy, but it would work. It had to work. Marlon had promised to stay by her side no matter what, and Sophie felt the same. Theirs was an unbreakable bond, and if that meant skirting the rules, so be it. What they had was worth it.


End file.
